We lay on the couch in my living room, the bottoms of our feet pressed together as we tried to concentrate on our separate novels, him reading Catch-22 for the first time. I was finally finishing the novel I’d been working on for weeks, a satisfying psychological thriller that looked like it was going to end with the good guy taking the fall for his lover. But concentrating was growing more and more difficult because he was pushing against my feet, playing a strange game of footsie that was incredibly distracting.

“Are you trying to piss me off?” I asked as he pushed particularly hard against my feet causing my knees to fold over against my chest.

“I’m bored.”

He sat up and tossed the book onto the coffee table, crossing his considerably large arms across his wide chest. “Why the hell do they promote Major Major Major Major? Just because it’s funny?”

“It’s satire, love.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t get this crap in college, I’m not going to get it now.”

“You get it. You just have to take a break and let it settle.”

He shook his head again. “It’s crap, Carson. I don’t want to have to think about what I read. I want to be entertained.”

“That’s called a movie.”

His eyes lit up as he reached over and snatched my book from my hands. “That’s a brilliant idea. Let’s go to a movie!”

“Aiden, I don’t think—”

“You’re always locked up in this house. You need to get out.”

“I don’t want to get out. I like being in my house.”

“Human beings are social people. You need to be around other people to be social.”

“I’m around you.’

He groaned. “And I like being around you. But I want to go do something fun.”

“I’m not fun?”

He groaned again, leaning close to kiss the tip of my nose. “You’re a blast. But we can only fuck so much before one of us gets too tired, or too sore.”

I raised my hand to slap him, but he snagged my wrist and pressed my arm back against the couch, lowering his head to kiss me. I tried to turn my head away, but there were some things in life I simply couldn’t resist. His kisses were one of those.

“Let’s go to the movies. I heard there’s a new horror movie out. Do you like horror?”

I shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Aiden…”

He climbed off the couch and snagged my hand, tugging me to my feet, his hand sliding over my cheek to brush the hair out of my face.

“It’s a movie. A dark theater full of people you’ll never see again. It’s not that big of a deal.”

I still hesitated. I knew from experience that it only took one person—the wrong person—who saw me in a public place to destroy what little bit of security I’ve built up around myself here in Memphis. Every time I went out in public, there was a chance someone might see me and tell the wrong person and then it would all come tumbling down like a house made of dominoes.

But Aiden was so eager and it was just a movie…

“Okay. But I get to pick the movie.”

He groaned and pretended to hesitate, but then he tugged his cell phone out of his pocket and pulled up an app that showed all the movies that were showing in the area. We stood shoulder to shoulder—with my shoulder falling a good ten inches below his, of course—and looked them over, finally picking a comedy that starred a couple of hot male actors I was familiar with.

“Not Seth Rogen.”

“No, but funny.”

He studied my face for a second. “Yeah? Or do you just want to see it because they’re good looking?”

“Something for you, something for me.”

He laughed. “Okay, I can live with that.”

The theater was crowded for a Sunday afternoon. I suddenly felt very self-conscious, aware that I hadn’t kept up with the current fashions and feeling a little queer with my new hair. I was used to short hair that stayed where it belonged. These long tresses kept falling into my face, falling from my scalp in long, stringy strands. I brushed at them, but that only seemed to make it worse.

Aiden grabbed my hand as I raised it to brush at my hair again, lacing his fingers with mine. “You look beautiful.”

I looked up at him and found him watching me. But as I became more aware of the people around us, I realized that there were quite a few women checking him out, some glaring at me like I’d done something horrible to them personally. The glares became more intense when he let go of my hand to slip his arm around my shoulder, tugging me close against his chest as we waited in line at the concession stand.

“Popcorn?” he asked close to my ear.

“What’s a movie without popcorn?”

He chuckled. “Just more proof that you and I are perfectly simpatico.”

“Except for Seth Rogen.”

“Every couple disagrees about one or two things. It keeps things interesting.”

“Every couple? Is that what we are?” I twisted in his arms to look him in the eye, suddenly very interested in what he had to say. But before he could answer me, someone called his name.

“Aiden Stone! I thought that was you.”

I turned as he carefully stepped around me, welcoming a beautiful brunette with a huge hug. He even kissed her, full on the lips, the kind of kiss that spoke of deep attachment and affection. The woman looked up at him, her green eyes dancing in the bright lights of the theater lobby.

“I heard you were back! How are you?”

“I’m good, really good.”

“Yeah? You don’t look too bad.”

He smiled, bowing slightly with one of those “aww shucks!” kind of looks. But then he grew serious as he studied her. “It’s been a while, Ami. How have you been?”

She tilted her head slightly to one side. “I moved up to Nashville for a while, worked at this small-time record company for this really sleazy guy. Finally decided it wasn’t worth it and came home to be closer to Dad.”

“How is he?”

The light disappeared from her eyes. “Not good. But we’re hoping this new treatment will show some results.”

I watched tension come into Aiden’s shoulders. “He’s sick?”

She paled slightly. “I thought you knew.” She shook her head, dragging her fingers through her hair with something like a nervous twitch. “I’m sorry.”

Aiden touched her arm, offering her a bit of comfort. “What is it?”

“Alzheimer’s. Just like Grandma Blake.”

Aiden sighed, drawing her in for a hug. “I’m sorry, Amelia.” He was quiet for a heartbeat, then asked, “Does he know?”

She quickly shook her head, pulling back. “There’s no reason for him to know.”

“Ami, just because the two of you aren’t together anymore doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want to be there for you. You were his best friend for too many years to discount him that quickly.” He tilted his head slightly as he regarded her. “And he’s coming home. Soon.”

She blushed, her eyes shooting to me. “Sorry,” she said, stepping toward me with her hand outstretched. “I’m Amelia Wilde, an old family friend of the Stones.”

“Carson.”

She waited a heartbeat, like she wanted more. But I had nothing more to offer her.

“Well, Carson, if you’re hanging out with this fool, I must offer my condolences.”

Aiden laughed and punched her lightly in the shoulder. She smiled what looked like a rare smile, her eyes a sky of stars as she studied his face. But the smile faltered as she did, as though seeing him brought forward a memory she didn’t want to remember.

“Amelia, the show’s about to start.”

She turned as a shorter, heavier woman came up behind her. “You remember Aiden Stone, don’t you, Joan?”

The woman nodded, the expression on her face suggesting that she once mooned after Aiden. That perhaps she still mooned after him. “Nice to see you, Aiden.”

“You too, Joan.”

“We’re going to see this Hugh Jackman movie,” Amelia said.

“We’re here for the comedy.”

She nodded, her eyes moving from him to me again. She inclined her head slightly toward me. “Enjoy.” She took her friend’s arm and headed off, leaving Aiden to watch after her with a worried frown.

“Who is she?”

He didn’t respond right away. We’d moved up in line without noticing and the cashier was waiting impatiently for us to make our order. It wasn’t until we were settled in our seats in the dark theater that he finally answered my question.

“Amelia and my brother, Gentry, dated back in high school and college. Everyone kind of assumed they’d get married someday, but when he and Bo enlisted in the Air Force…I don’t know. She just ended it. He never told us why.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, well, he’s coming home in a couple of weeks. Maybe they’ll finally be able to work this stuff out.”

“How long has it been?”

He shrugged. “Eight years.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s been too long. If she was still willing to make things work with him, too much has happened over the intervening years. There’s too much water under the bridge.”

“You’re not very romantic, are you?”

I thought about that for a second. “No, I don’t suppose I am.”

“Then it’s lucky for you that I am.”

“You’re romantic?”

“I am. I believe in true love. And I believe that Gentry and Amelia had that. They’ll get back together.”

I shook my head as I stuck my hand in the popcorn box.

“You don’t believe me?”

“No. I think it’s been too long. And they broke up for a reason.”

“She still loves him. You saw that look on her face. And she’s not with anyone new.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“Doesn’t it?”

I glanced at him. “Maybe she’s been concentrating on her career.”

“What career? She’s a personal assistant.”

“A personal assistant can’t take her career seriously?”

“Of course, she can. I just…” He stopped, shaking his head. “I don’t know. But I know Amelia and I know Gentry. Once they’re back in the same zip code, things will change.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“But you still don’t think so.”

I picked up a couple more popcorn kernels and picked at them for a second as my thoughts twisted and rolled in my head.

“I think people are creatures of habit. I think they’ve both found different ways to fulfill their needs and they won’t want to go back in time.  But…” I glanced at him. “There’s always exceptions to every rule.”

He studied me for a second. “You don’t believe in soul mates?”

“I believe in human behavior.”

He shook his head, clucking his tongue a little. “You have so much to learn, dear Carson.”

I laughed because his tone of voice was almost comical in its earnestness. “Do I?”

“You do. And you’re lucky I’m here to teach you.”

The lights dimmed then and the trailers began, signaling the imminent start of the film. I settled back and snacked on the popcorn, my thoughts as far from that theater as they could have been in that moment. What if he was right? My mother used to talk about soul mates, about this connection she was convinced she had with my father that led them to make the choices that ended with her alone and pregnant. I asked her once if she would do things differently if she had known how things would end up. She said no. She insisted that everything she and I had gone through in the years after his death were well worth the short time she had with him.

I thought she was crazy. I still did.

Then the popcorn was gone and the movie was proving itself to be a bit of a bomb and Aiden was entertaining himself by dancing his fingers over the inside of my thigh. I made the mistake of glancing at him only to find him staring at me.

“Watch the movie,” I hissed.

“It’s crap.”

I smiled because he couldn’t have described it better. There were a few people who’d already gotten up and walked out, it was so bad.

“Then what do you suggest?”

He didn’t need more than that subtle invitation. He lifted the armrest that separated our seats and slid his hand over my hip, tugging me close to him. Then he stole my lips, the taste of salt and butter still clinging to his tongue. His hand slipped down against my ass, his tongue doing things that I couldn’t even begin to describe. I rested my hand on his shoulder, but it didn’t stay there long. It moved slowly down over his chest, twisting itself in the material of his shirt, holding him close against me. How was it that I hadn’t grown tired of his kisses, that I still ached every time he touched me? How long could we keep up that kind of intensity, that kind of heat? Eventually it would burn itself out, right?

But it wasn’t. It was there, his touch making me have thoughts I never would have had with anyone else.

His mouth moved down to my throat and a sound that was much too loud for the time and place slipped from between my lips. I was vaguely aware of a woman a few rows in front of us turning to glare in our direction, but I didn’t care. He was doing things to my throat, sending shivers of pleasure up and down the length of my spine. I ached deep inside, ached for more than just his hot breath against my skin. He seemed to know that because his hand moved from my ass, around my hip, to press itself hard between my inner thighs. I groaned again, this time burying the sound against his shoulder.

His mouth came back up to mine as he pressed two fingers against the material of my jeans, pushing them so hard against me that my clit stood up and took notice. But then he moved his hand, slipped it under my shirt, his palm seeking out the pebble-like nipples that were pressed tight against the cup of my bra. Only for a moment, he touched me there, his hand clutching almost roughly at my rounded flesh. And then he moved again, his hand sliding over my ribs, his fingers slipping under the waistband of my jeans.

“Aiden,” I whispered, pushing him back, “you’ve got to stop.”

“Why?”

I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry. “We’re disturbing everyone.”

He sat up a little, looking around the theater. It was less than half filled, the woman who’d glared at me and her female companion the closest people to where we’d chosen to sit at the very back. The woman glanced back at us again, but her glare was a little less menacing than it had been when it was just me she was looking at. But the meaning of her glance was clear.

Aiden immediately stood and held out his hand to me. I hesitated only a second, then took his hand and followed him out of the theater. We both laughed as we stepped out into the corridor, causing an usher waiting to clean up one of the other theaters to look up from her cell phone.

Instead of taking me toward the exit, though, Aiden tugged me in the direction of the public restrooms. He hesitated a moment, glancing over his shoulder to make sure we weren’t being observed, then pushed open the door of the women’s room.

“Aiden, what are you doing?”

Rather than answer, he pulled me down the long row of stalls and pushed me into the very last stall, a narrow stall built against the tile wall. He closed the door and shoved the lock into place as he pushed me against that cold tile. He studied my face as he unbuttoned the top of my jeans, pushing his hand inside with no warning. I groaned as the tips of his fingers brushed the warm, moist space between my thighs, my clit once again standing up and begging to be part of that touch.

“Aiden,” I whispered, but my voice was hoarse and the excitement of what he was doing—not just the touch, but touching me so intimately in such a public place—making my juices run like they’d never done before. I wasn’t sure I could stop even if I convinced him it was for the best.

He moved close to me as his fingers found their target, sliding the tip of his tongue along my lower lip. I leaned my head back, parted my lips and just waited for what came next. He didn’t make me wait long. His mouth buried itself against me, invading me with determination. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers digging against his scalp, wanting nothing more than to pull him as close to me as possible.

My head was spinning with what he was doing to me. I was lost, enveloped in a bubble of pleasure that knew nothing more than how perfectly awesome this was. His hands, his tongue knew exactly what to do to make my thoughts disappear. Who could think with what he was doing to me? All I wanted in that moment was to feel him inside of me, to rock together to that moment of ecstasy that—let’s face it—most of us live for.

Just as suddenly as he’d begun this attack, he pulled away, turning me and pressing me so hard against the wall that he knocked out what little air there was in my lungs. I couldn’t move as I struggled for air, not sure if the struggle was as much because of what he’d done or what he was doing. I could feel my jeans ripping down my thighs, could feel him tugging so hard at my panties that I was pretty sure I’d have marks on my hips later. And then his hand was sliding over my ass, his knee urging my own knees to open wider. Then his hardness was pressed against me and a scream built in my throat.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he hissed against my ear. “I can’t help myself.”

I reached back, ran my hand along his thigh as he began to thrust inside of me. I bit my lip to keep my screams at bay, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep them under control much longer. But I had to because we could hear the outer door to the bathroom open repeatedly, heard voices discussing the plot of some movie, could hear dozens of women come in to witness our impulsiveness.

A slow moan slipped from my lips as he slowed his movements. He wrapped his hand around my mouth, held in the sounds that wanted to escape as he refused to stop. And I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him to keep going, for this rise and build into the perfection I knew he was capable of. I didn’t care who heard us or what consequences might be waiting for us. I just wanted him.

I moved my hips, tried to encourage him to return to the almost harsh thrust he’d begun with, but he refused, stilling my movement with his free hand and the weight of his body. He had me so tightly pressed to that tile wall that I couldn’t have escaped him if I’d wanted to. But escape was the last thing on my mind.

He rolled his hips, silently, moving so slowly that it was like torture. I knew it wasn’t satisfying to him, could hear the harshness of his breathing, feel how incredibly hard he was. But voices were surrounding us, women laughing and talking, the sound drowned out only by their use of the facilities, the loud flushing of the toilets almost enough to hide the screams that still desperately wanted to escape my throat. But he wouldn’t let go of my mouth.

It wasn’t like torture. It was torture.

And then he had to make it worse. His hand that lay against my hip decided to move, to slide deeper down against me until his fingertips were pressed against my clit. It was unfair, that move. It sent such tingles of pleasure through me that I could no longer sit still, could no longer fight the moans that were stuck in my throat. I rolled my hips back against him, ground my ass against him until he was touching me in places so deep that they’d not had much interaction before this. And that was that proverbial straw. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I know someone had to have heard me. Despite the muffle of his hand over my mouth, I couldn’t help but lose it, to scream as an orgasm so powerful that my knees stopped holding me up rushed through my body. If not for him, I would have become a puddle on the ground. It was that intense. But security didn’t come pounding down the flimsy door. As it passed and I found myself still pressed against the ice-cold tile wall, the bathroom fell silent.

Aiden pulled his hand away from my mouth.

“Asshole!”

He laughed. “I didn’t hear you protesting.”

I reached behind me and ran my hand over his upper thigh, to his ass. When I found it, I gave him a solid smack. He just laughed again.

He pulled away from me, the sensation almost painful. He wasn’t done, and neither was I. I pushed his chest, forcing him down on the toilet. He stared up at me with something like surprise in his eyes, and then understanding. I pulled a leg free of my jeans and straddled him, guiding him to me and taking control, rocking against him in the rhythm I’d desperately needed when we first began. He moaned, his hands on my hips trying to guide me, but my I ignored him. It was my turn to push him over the edge.

I was surprised how quickly my body recovered, how quickly I found myself traveling toward that same edge again. But watching his face, watching the pleasure dance in every pore, made it impossible not to respond. I could feel his orgasm building, could feel his need not only in the soft moans escaping his lips, but the way he held my hips and the thickness of his erection that seemed to have swelled slightly more. He bit down on his lip as the outer door of the bathroom opened once again. I pressed my hand to his mouth, the vibration of his vocalizations against my hand just one more bit of sensation that added to the overload my nerves were currently experiencing.

As I watched him cum, as I saw the loss of control rush through his body, the sight pushed me over the edge. The second orgasm was slightly less than the first, but not by much.

I lay my head on his chest as we slowly came down from our separate heights, listening to people come and go out of the bathroom. I have no idea how long we were there because time didn’t seem to have much meaning in that moment. He stirred under me, his hands moving affectionately over my back, my hips.

“We should go before the next movie lets out.”

“We can’t just stay here all night?”

“My ass is falling into the water.”

I laughed and he swatted my ass hard enough for it to sting. Then he lifted me up, forcing me onto my feet. We dressed, elbowing each other in the tight, confined space. Aiden stood at the door and listened for a moment, waiting for some indication that we weren’t alone in the large bathroom. When neither of us heard anything, he stepped back and released the lock, pulling open the door. He held my hand as he pulled me up the long aisle between the stalls. We were almost home free when someone spoke.

“Aiden?”

My heart jumped into my throat as I imagined a security guard or a theater employee. Or maybe even another of Aiden’s long lost friends or former girlfriend. But when we turned almost as one, it was only Amelia coming out of one of the stalls, her eyes reddened in a way they hadn’t been before.

“Sorry, Ami,” Aiden said before tugging me toward the exit. We rushed through the theater and out the front doors into the evening air, both of us bursting into hysterical laughter. I spun around in the center of the parking lot, my hands raised above my head, feeling freer and happier than I had ever felt before. When I caught sight of Aiden again, I stopped laughing, this sense of gratitude overwhelming me.

“You’re insane.”

He came to me and lifted me off my feet. “We both are.”

We laughed again, laughed all the way to his car. He didn’t put me down until we were standing beside the dark sedan he drove, only setting me down so that he could unlock the doors and help me inside. Before he did, he kissed me with a breathless need.

“You make me want to do crazy things,” he sighed against my lips before guiding me inside the car.

We stopped at a restaurant on the way back to my place and I forgot about my fears of being out in public. Granted, it was a dark restaurant and we were led to a deep booth at the very back of the dining room. But it felt good to not have that cloud of gloom hanging over me for once.

He held my hands as we sat across from each other, his thumb smoothing over mine, his eyes dark as he studied my face.

“I start at Stone Security tomorrow.”

“Are you nervous?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. A little, I suppose.”

“It’s your family’s company.”

“Yeah, which means working under both my older brothers and working shoulder to shoulder with Bo.” He looked down at our hands for a long minute. “I’ve thought a lot about what I wanted to do after leaving the military. Law enforcement or private security were at the top of the list because it’s what I know. But I’m not sure it’s really what I want, you know?”

“Then don’t do it.”

“And do what?”

I shrugged. “Go back to school. Go into business. Join the police academy.”

He shook his head. “I hated school and business makes my head hurt. If I went to the police academy, my brothers would take it as an insult.”

“Then go to Stone Security.”

He groaned. “You’re no help.”

“You’re overthinking it, Aiden. This is not the end of your life. This is a new path. And if you like it, great. If you don’t, then you try something else. It’s not rocket science.”

He studied my face a moment longer. “You’re right. I just…I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

“As long as you do your best, you won’t.” I squeezed his hand. “No one knows you better than your family. I’m sure they would know if you weren’t up for this and they wouldn’t put their business at risk by giving you this position. They clearly trust that you’re up to it.”

“Maybe.”

“Have some faith in yourself, babe.”

He smiled, his eyes moving slowly over me. “I like that. Say it again.”

“What?”

“Call me babe.”

I giggled a little, shaking my head. Before I could say anything else, the waitress came with our meals. I watched her set them down, saw the little wink she dropped Aiden before she walked off. It seemed like every woman we ran into thought Aiden was the best thing they’d ever seen. And maybe he was, but it was me he was going home with.

I can’t tell you how swollen that made my head.

And he did, parking his car right in my driveway without a second’s hesitation and walking into my house like he owned the place. He hadn’t slept once in his own house since we began this thing between us. Not that I had any complaints. I liked having him around.

He made me feel safe and that was something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.